Reveal
by Nightcrawler8
Summary: All secrets are revealed in time...
1. Aftermath

Reveal

Notes: This story only takes into account events leading up to and including "Devoted".

CHAPTER 1: Aftermath

Lex Luthor brought his silver Porsche to a stop outside of Clark's Fortress of Solitude and sighed. During the ten minute drive from Luthor Castle over to the Kent Farm, Lex had tried and failed to find a way to broach the subject he needed to clear the air about that would not irate his friend. However, Lex had learned the hard way that the truth was the most important factor to constructing and preserving a friendship, and he was not about to let his friendship with Clark disintegrate a second time.

Lex climbed the stairs to find Clark sitting at his desk with his notebook in front of him and a Calculus textbook to his left. "Hey, Clark," he greeted.

Clark looked up and smiled. "Hey, Lex," he greeted in kind as he got up to shake his friend's hand. "It's almost midnight. What brings you by this late?"

"I needed to talk to you about something, and I don't think it could wait any longer," Lex said gravely.

"Um, okay," Clark said uncertainly. He motioned to the couch, and he and Lex sat down.

Lex sighed and rubbed his hands together. "Clark, as friends, I think it would be fair to say that we have a duty, an obligation, to look out for each other. Am I right?"

"I think I could agree to that," Clark said, still a little uncertain about where this was going.

"Good," Lex said, nodding. "In that case, I hope you don't mind if I ask if you're sure you didn't see who attacked you last week."

Clark sighed. "Like I told you, Lex," he said, grinding his teeth a bit, "I didn't get a good look at him."

Lex shook his head. Another conversation had yielded yet another stalemate, but Lex wasn't about to give up so easily. "Clark, I'm just trying to be your friend here. Let me help."

Clark thought for a few moments, pondering what he should do. Finally, he said, "Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise," Lex said firmly. "You have my word."

Clark took a few deep breaths before answering, "It was Coach Teague."

Lex's eyes went wide with shock. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," he remarked in surprise. "Do you have any idea why he came after you?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Clark replied. "He did say something about me hitting on his girlfriend, but when I asked him about it, he just chalked it up to the effects of the water." Seeing Lex's jaw tighten, he asked, "What is it?"

Lex stood up and paced for a moment. The conversation had taken a turn toward another subject, one with which Lex had been wrestling for two weeks. A difficult decision lay before him, and he prayed that he wasn't about to make the wrong choice. After a minute, he turned to Clark and said, "I think I know who Jason was talking about."

Seeing Lex hesitate, Clark prompted, "Go on."

Lex sighed before continuing. "When Lana got attacked two weeks ago, I went to visit her at the hospital. I got there to find that she already had a visitor." He looked into Clark's eyes. "It was Jason, Clark."

Clark's face contorted with surprise. "W-what?" he stammered.

"I got there just in time to hear him telling Lana that he hoped that she realized how much she meant to him." Lex paused before concluding heavily, "Clark, _Lana_ is Jason's girlfriend."

Clark involuntarily clenched his right fist as a wave of anger went through his body. "I don't believe this," he breathed.

"Neither did I at first," Lex said, "but I thought about it, and I realized that it made sense. Jason started his job as Assistant Coach two days after Lana came back from Paris. That fact added to the comment that I just told you and his attack on you make for some pretty strong evidence."

Clark was shaking with rage. "That son of a bitch…he looked me right in the eye and he _lied_ to me. And how could Lana keep this from me, especially knowing how I feel about her?" Clark buried his face in his hands.

Lex walked back over and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Clark," he said earnestly. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know."

"Thanks," Clark said hoarsely. "Listen, Lex, I think I need to get some sleep."

Lex nodded and patted Clark's shoulder. "Call me if you need anything," Lex reiterated. At Clark's curt nod, Lex turned and walked down the stairs. As he got back in his car, he prayed that he hadn't just made a big mistake.

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Clark looked at the office door in front of him and sighed. His anger had cooled off considerably since last night, but Clark needed to get it off his chest. After a moment, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" yelled a voice from inside. Clark opened the door, and Jason Teague looked up from his playbook and grinned. "Hey, Clark," he greeted. "Take a seat." Clark closed the door and did so, and Jason continued, "So, what can I do for you?"

"There's something that I need to talk to you about," Clark began. "When I first came to you and asked for a tryout with the team, I thought that I'd found an opportunity to broaden my horizons, maybe push away some of the crap that I went through in the past. Now, I'm not so sure that it was the best way to do that."

"Clark, you're not considering quitting the team, are you?" Jason asked warily.

Clark shook his head. "No, I'm not. I love playing football. I just find it hard to play for someone that flat out lied to me." By the end of this sentence, anger was smoldering behind Clark's eyes.

"Clark, when did Quigley lie to you, and about what?" Jason asked curiously.

"I'm not talking about Coach Quigley," Clark said, grinding his teeth. "I'm talking about _you_."

"Me?" Jason questioned.

"Don't pretend that you don't know!" Clark spat. "You told me that the whole deal about me hitting on your girlfriend was just the effects of the water, but that wasn't the truth, was it?" Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Clark was on a roll. "I _know_, Coach. I know that Lana Lang is your girlfriend."

Jason opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. His face had drained of color. "How-how did you find out?" he asked, not trying to deny it.

"Lex told me about the little bedside visit you made two weeks ago," Clark replied coldly.

Jason sighed. "Look, Clark, I'm sorry that you found out like this," he said. "Hiding this from people has been tough, not just on me, but also on Lana. This was the only way I could think of for us to be together." Seeing Clark shake his head, he continued, "You know, I know that Lana's your friend, but I'm curious to understand why you're this upset about it."

"You mean besides the fact that you lied to me, are robbing the cradle, and dating a minor?" Clark questioned sarcastically. When Jason didn't respond, Clark stared at Jason incredulously for a few seconds before he burst into angry laughter. "Oh, God…I don't believe it. She didn't tell you, did she?" Clark said as the laughing spell died out.

Jason furrowed his brows before realization suddenly struck, and his eyes went wide. "_You're_ her ex," he said quietly.

Clark nodded in acquiescence. "Looks like she wasn't as over me as she said she was," he remarked with a smirk. Then, he got up and started to leave the room.

"Clark," Jason called, stopping him. "You're not going to say anything to anyone, are you?"

Clark shook his head. "I'm not that vindictive," he said. "I would make a suggestion, though. Ask yourself if the secrecy is really worth it, because the next person who finds out might not be as generous." With that, Clark opened the door and walked down the hall.

As Jason stood up and closed the door, he missed the figure that had been standing on the opposite side of the doorway from where Clark was now walking. Dan rubbed his hands together, smiling gleefully. He was pissed off over Jason replacing him with Clark as the starting quarterback, and now he had the perfect recipe for revenge.

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Lana finished wiping down the last table and brushed her hands off with a satisfied smile. Whatever lingering doubts she'd had were gone. Lana had definitely missed the Talon.

A knock at the front door startled her from her reverie. She unlocked it, and was surprised to see Clark when she opened it. "Hey, Clark," she greeted cheerfully. "What're you doing here so late?"

"I needed to talk to you about something," Clark said gravely. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Lana said. She stepped aside and Clark walked in. "You know, I never got a chance to congratulate you on Saturday. You were really great out there."

A shadow of a smile crossed Clark's face before it was quickly wiped away. "While I appreciate the compliment," he said, "we really need to talk."

"Okay," Lana said uncertainly. As she motioned toward a table for him to sit down, Lana was struck with a sudden feeling of doom. "What's up?"

Clark took a deep breath. "There's no easy way for me to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Why didn't you tell me that Jason Teague was the guy you met in Paris?"

Lana's face completely drained of color, and she opened and closed several times before she found her voice. "H-how…?" she stammered.

"How I know is not the issue," Clark said, definite venom in his voice. His eyes narrowed as he continued, "What matters is that not only did you hide this from me, but you looked me in the eye and you _lied_ to me about it. Honestly, I expected better from you."

Lana was speechless for a full five seconds. She'd seen an angry Clark before, but this Clark was pissed off to no end. Then, her own temper flared. "You're one to talk," she snapped. "You've been keeping secrets from me for years, secrets that I still don't know about, so I think I'm justified in keeping things from you."

"That's different," Clark countered firmly.

"WHY?" Lana screamed. All of the anger and pain she'd been keeping bottled up inside for the past four months suddenly exploded. "Do you really want to know why I kept this from you? Fine, I'll tell you. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already have. All we do is hurt each other, and I'm sick of it." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Tell me something, Clark. If you love me so much, then why in hell can't you be honest with me? Why is it that you can't tell me the truth?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T!" Clark bellowed.

Clark and Lana glared at each other for a long, thick minute before Clark turned and walked out of the Talon, slamming the door behind him. Lana buried her face in her hands and cried, ashamed for once again hurting the one person who cared for her selflessly, no matter what.

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The next day at school, Lana walked around Smallville High with a heavy heart. Her screaming match with Clark had taken a lot out of her, and she wanted to make things right with him. She hoped to catch him before he caught the bus home, so she quickly made her way through the halls toward his locker.

Suddenly, a voice stopped her. "Ms. Lang, can I have a word with you, please?"

Lana turned to find that the speaker was Jason, who had stepped out of his office. The expression on his face was anything but reassuring. "Sure, Coach," she said. Jason stepped aside for her and then closed the door. "Okay, Jason, what's going on?" she asked worriedly.

Jason sighed and sat down at his desk. "Somebody knows about us, Lana," he said quietly.

"W-what?" she stammered in surprise, though not for the reason that Jason thought. Why hadn't Clark told her that he'd talked to Jason, too?

"It gets worse," Jason continued. "This guy is blackmailing me. He says that if I don't do what he wants, he's going to tell the Board of Education about us, and my career will be history." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what the hell I'm going to do."

Lana's face had contorted in anger. "We'll figure something out," she said. "Listen, I've really got to go. I'll call you later." With that, she briskly sped out of Jason's office with one destination in mind.

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Clark was upstairs in the loft, trying to concentrate on his homework, but his mind kept wandering back to Lana. Like her, the fight they'd had the night before had been really heavy on him. Suddenly, Clark was jolted from his thoughts as a tennis ball slammed into the back of his head. He whirled, shocked beyond belief to see Lana standing there with the same expression he'd had on his face only the night before. Immediately feigning pain by bringing his hand to the back of his head, he said, "Lana, what the hell was that for?"

"Like you don't already know," Lana spat. "How typical."

"What are you talking about?" Clark questioned in confusion.

"You know, I knew you were upset, but I can't believe that you'd go so far as to blackmail Jason just to get back at me," Lana continued.

"Blackmail…?" Clark said uncertainly.

"I can't believe you!" Lana yelled. "I thought you were above the notion of revenge, but I guess I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"How can you possibly think that I'm that cruel?" Clark yelled back.

"Oh, come on, Clark," Lana said. "You're jealous of me and Jason, and you're upset that I lied to you, so you decided that a little payback was in order." She gave him a snide look before saying, "I wouldn't have expected it of you."

A look of pure rage had taken over Clark's features. "You know what, Lana?" he yelled. "If you really believe that I'm capable of that, then maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore!"

"Fine with me!" she yelled back.

Once again, Lana and Clark glared at each other, this time without remorse. Finally, Lana turned and began to walk down the stairs, waves of pain crashing over her as something inside her shriveled up. Suddenly, Lana jumped as she heard a bloodcurdling scream of anger. She whirled to see Clark pick up a framed photo of them – the only one he had – and throw it against the loft wall. Lana quickly turned and ran down the stairs and out of the loft as the pain intensified. Climbing into her SUV, she allowed the pain to overtake her, and soon tears were streaming down her cheeks, as she knew that she'd probably lost Clark again…only this time forever.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Reset

CHAPTER 2: Reset

Clark had never felt anger of such intensity in his whole life.

Not even red kryptonite had been able to make him this angry.

But Lana losing her faith in him, spitting on whatever tenuous bond lay between them…well, that was another matter.

Damn Jor-El for interfering in his life.

Once more, Clark cursed his biological father.

In that moment, Clark managed to deflect his anger from Lana to Jor-El.

It was so much easier to hate him than Lana.

With that in mind, Clark sped off in the direction of the Kawatche Caves.

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"Jor-El!" Clark yelled at the cave walls. "Answer me, damn you!"

No response came to Clark's angry shouts.

"Are you happy?" Clark continued. "Is this what you wanted, to see me suffer? Is there some sick part of you that's getting off on this? ANSWER ME!"

At Clark's final scream, the keyhole in the cave wall began to glow. The glow spread out from the cave wall until it coalesced into the transparent figure of a man. The man had dark hair streaked with gray and a beard. His blue eyes were piercing in their intensity. "Kal-El," he greeted.

"My name is Clark," he growled.

Jor-El shook his head. "You are still fighting your destiny," he remarked disappointedly.

"Do you think I want to rule the world?" Clark retorted.

Jor-El shook his head. "What your destiny entails is not important," he said. "The consequences of your decision to fight who you are, however, are."

"I just want to live my life!" Clark insisted. "I don't want to be a conqueror!"

"But you _are_ Kryptonian, Kal-El," Jor-El reminded him. "And the more you fight it, the worse things will become for you and those you love."

"Don't threaten them!" Clark yelled.

"I am not," Jor-El replied. "You bring this about all on your own. Consider your choices wisely, my son." With that, Jor-El receded back into the cave wall.

Clark pondered on Jor-El's advice. Was it really hiding his secret from Lana that had caused them to drift apart, or was it Clark's inability to accept his origins?

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Lana furiously scrubbed at the Talon's display counter, taking out her frustrations on the dried coffee stains. Since her fight with Clark yesterday, she'd been in the worst mood imaginable, and it had taken all of her self-control not to start screaming at Talon staff members.

"Need a hand cleaning up?"

Lana's head snapped up. Lex was standing at the front door, the usual smirk on his face. "Lex, I'm really not in the mood to banter right now," she said gruffly.

"So I gathered from the explosiveness of your fight with Clark," Lex remarked.

Lana narrowed her eyes. "Did Clark tell you?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Oh, he didn't have to," Lex replied. "I was there."

"What?" Lana questioned in surprise.

"I'd actually come by to talk to Clark," Lex explained, "but the screaming match the two of you were having dissuaded me."

"I can't believe you listened to us!" Lana yelled indignantly.

"Only because you're both my friends, and as friends, I have a duty to look out for you," Lex countered firmly. "I was surprised at you, Lana. Clark's never shown himself to have the vindictive nature necessary for blackmail. Yet, you judged him without a second thought."

"Clark's the only one who knew about us," Lana stated.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Well, who else could have known?" she snapped.

"I'm not sure about that," Lex answered honestly. "Then again, if Clark really had wanted to blackmail Jason, he could've done it while he still had the bruises to do it."

Lana's eyebrows shot up. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion.

"You mean you didn't know?" Lex questioned. "Last Thursday after practice, Jason paid Clark a little visit at the loft. He beat the crap out of him. Good thing I showed up and managed to stop him."

Lana was absolutely speechless. She stared at Lex with wide eyes, mouth agape. Before she could speak, Lex looked at his watch. "Damn, I have to go. Business meeting down at LuthorCorp," he explained. As he turned to leave, he stopped and said over his shoulder, "You know, they say that information is power. The trick is what you do with it. You have the information now, Lana. The ball's in your court." With that, Lex walked out of the Talon.

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Lana navigated her SUV through Smallville proper, running her conversation with Lex through her head yet again. Why would Jason have beaten up Clark? And, if that was true, why would Jason have hidden it from her? Lana needed answers, and she was going to get them once and for all.

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Jason sat in his apartment, morosely nursing a beer. He felt as though his head was on fire, his mind in shambles. The events of the past two days had drained him, both physically and mentally. A sudden knocking on his door startled him out of his dazed state. Groaning as he stood up, he walked to the door and opened it. "Lana," he greeted in surprise.

"I need to talk to you," she said as she pushed past him and entered the apartment.

"Um, yeah, sure," he answered as he closed the door. "What's wrong?"

Lana took a deep breath before turning around to face him. "Lex told me something that disturbed me, and I want to know if it's true." She paused to gather her strength. "Did you go by Clark's loft last week and beat him up?"

Jason lowered his eyes in shame and nodded. "I had drunk some of that infected water that the cheerleaders were using on the football players," he confessed. "I lost control. If Lex hadn't shown up…" Jason trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence.

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me about it," Lana noted firmly.

"Clark and I had come to a mutual understanding about what happened," Jason explained. "He agreed that it was the water that had made me flip out like I did, and said that he wasn't going to tell the school board about what happened."

"If that's true, then why did Clark blackmail you about us?" she asked.

Jason looked at her in puzzlement. "Clark isn't the one who's blackmailing me," he said.

Lana froze in shock. "B-but you said…" she stammered.

"I never said that Clark was the one who was blackmailing me," Jason reminded her.

"Then who was it?" Lana asked in a tremulous voice.

"Dan Reese," Jason answered. "He was pissed off about me replacing him with Clark as the starting quarterback, so he decided to get back at me." Seeing Lana sway and grab the nearest table, he said, "What's wrong?"

Lana was pale and shaking. "Oh, God…" she whispered. Then, in a stronger voice, she said, "I-I have to go. I'll see you later." Before Jason could say a word or stop her, she rushed out of the apartment, with only one thought on her mind.

'What have I done?'

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Clark sat in the loft staring morosely out into the night. He had told his parents about his fight with Lana, and though they did their best to comfort and advise him, they couldn't take away the pain he was feeling. Suddenly, the sound of Lana's SUV pulling to a stop in the driveway reached him, and he stiffened. He listened to her soft, delicate tread as she walked up the stairs, and each step sent a pang through his heart. He didn't think he could take another round of shouting with her.

Lana came to a stop a few feet away from him. "Hi," she said softly. When Clark didn't move, she continued, "I know that I'm not your favorite person right now, so I don't expect you to say anything. Just listen." She took a breath. "I…I want to apologize for accusing you like that. I didn't have all the facts, and the fact that I just assumed that it was you…it disgusts me." She sighed. "I don't know where we go from here, Clark, and I'd understand if you couldn't forgive me for what I've done, but our friendship…it's sacred to me, and I don't want to lose it." Lana took a ragged breath. "If there's any chance, Clark…" She trailed off as the emotions overwhelmed her.

An uncomfortable silence ensued for a minute before Clark finally turned to her. "You're right, Lana," he said evenly. "I don't know where we go from here either. All I do know is that we can't go on the way we have." He paused. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you, Lana. But one thing I do know is that I'm not ready to pick up where we left off. I hope you can understand that."

Lana nodded sadly and turned to leave. She descended the stairs quickly, hoping that somehow, she'd set them on the path that would lead them back to each other.

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Lex studied the balls on the pool table, carefully considering his next shot. "So, Clark," he said, "do you want to tell me the real reason you're here?"

"What do you mean?" Clark asked as Lex missed the six-ball.

"I mean that as much as I appreciate you wanting to get back into our old habits," he replied, gesturing at the pool table, "something tells me that a few games of pool don't constitute the real reason that you came out here."

Clark sighed and leaned against the pool table. By now, Lex had told him of his eavesdropping on his explosive confrontation with Lana. "Lana came by the loft last night," he said. "She wanted to know if I'd forgive her for her accusations."

"What did you say?" Lex inquired.

"I told her that I wasn't sure if I could forgive her, let alone be friends with her again," Clark explained.

"I see," Lex said. "I guess the real question is what _you_ want, Clark."

"It's hard," Clark admitted. "I want Lana in my life, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to look at her and not remember how much she hurt me."

"You know, that works both ways, Clark," Lex pointed out. "Lana had the exact reservations about you before she decided to leave for Paris. It's possible that she still does, but it seems to me that she's willing to put her faith in you and take a chance. Can you say the same?" Clark opened his mouth, but Lex continued, "You don't have to answer that. But I will tell you something." He put a comforting hand on Clark's shoulder. "Everyone deserves a second chance, an opportunity to redeem themselves. I'm grateful to you for giving me one, and I have no intention of wasting it. I seriously doubt that Lana, or you, for that matter, would either." Gesturing again at the pool table, Lex prompted, "Your shot, Clark."

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Lana leaned on the counter and let out a huff. The afternoon rush was taking its toll on her, and she was grateful for the breather. As her gaze wandered to the front of the Talon, she caught sight of Clark and immediately straightened up. Her heart involuntarily skipped a beat as he made his way purposely toward her. "Hey, Clark," she greeted, smiling slightly.

Clark's face, however, remained serious. "I've been thinking about what you said last night, and I've come to a decision." Lana opened her mouth, but Clark raised a hand, stopping her. "Just let me talk for now." He sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think we can just pick up where we left off." Lana's face fell as Clark continued, "There's so much water under the bridge, from both of us, that I don't see how we can just go on like nothing happened."

Lana sniffled. "I guess I can accept that," she said sadly.

"That's why I've decided that the best thing for both of us would be to start over, redo our friendship from the beginning," Clark concluded.

Lana gasped in surprise. "What?" she questioned.

"Like I said, we can't continue from where we were, and I think it's obvious by now that we're both miserable when we're not talking to each other," Clark pointed out. "But I think that if we started our friendship over again, wiped the slate clean, then things might work between us again."

Despite her own inner enthusiasm at his idea, she questioned cautiously, "It sounds fine in theory, Clark, but do you really think we can just reset our entire relationship like some video game?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Clark admitted. "But I'm willing to try, Lana. I have faith in you, in us." Clark paused, thinking over Lex's words. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Lana, and I think that we're both long overdue for one."

Lana nodded slowly, a smile creeping over her face. "Yeah, absolutely," she agreed.

"Good," Clark said, a dimmed version of his famous megawatt smile coming to his face. "So, to make this work, we need to make a promise right now, to always tell the truth. No more lies."

"And what about secrets?" Lana questioned softly.

Fortunately, Clark had anticipated this question. "I can't tell you everything now, Lana," he said, "but I'm making my own amendment to our promise. One day down the road, I _will_ tell you what I've been hiding from you. I'm not ready yet, so don't ask me any questions. I do promise that I won't lie to you about it anymore. If a circumstance comes up where I have no choice but to tell you, then I will. Can you accept that?"

Lana carefully studied Clark's face. A small part of her desperately wanted to know what Clark had been hiding, but mostly she just wanted him in her life. Nodding, she vowed, "Yeah, I think so. And I do promise, no more secrets, no more lies."

Clark nodded and sighed. Seeing the crowd beginning to gain numbers again, he said, "Well, I guess I'd better let you get back to work."

"Yeah," she agreed. Giving him another smile, she said, "I'll see you later, Clark."

"Okay," Clark said and turned to leave. After a few steps, he turned back toward her and said, "Hey, Lana?"

"Yeah?" she called back.

Clark smiled, and this time it was full. "I won't let you down this time," he said.

Lana smiled to herself as Clark left. Their friendship had been destroyed and reset in a matter of days, and she prayed that this time, the foundation would hold. Only time would tell.

TO BE CONTINUED…


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